


Battle and Valor

by Anti_Social_Teen



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Gen, Goddess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2018-11-30 00:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11452302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anti_Social_Teen/pseuds/Anti_Social_Teen
Summary: Reyna, Goddess of Battle and Valor, has returned to the world from years of seclusion when she notices the recurring appearance of the Avengers. Inspired by their drive to save the world she reclaims her title and seeks to become the goddess she always aspired to be.(So basically I've been inspired by the Wonder Woman film to come up with this story, and I hope you guys enjoy it. It starts out pre-Age of Ultron and will continue to the end of Age of Ultron)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> if you enjoyed the story please leave a kudo and/or a comment:)

Steve stood in the kitchen staring at the folder in front of him. The Russian words made no sense to him and he made a mental note to use Google Translate later. Sipping his coffee, his foot tapped to the beat of the song playing.

The elevator doors sliding open startled the super soldier, causing dark coffee to splash onto the counter. Turning around, his light blue eyes met a pair of brown inquisitive ones. Steve immediately grabbed the nearest thing to him- a large silver pan from the stove.

“Woah Steve what are you doing there?” Sam chuckled as he entered the kitchen from a side door. Hearing no response, Sam followed Steve’s anxious gaze to the elevator where a woman stood impatiently. Her arms were crossed as she stared at the pair unabashedly.

“J.A.R.V.I.S who is that?” Sam whispered out, slightly frightened.

“I am unsure sir but I did not notice her presence. She did not enter through any entrance,” J.A.R.V.I.S replied. The woman stuffed her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket with a slight smirk.

“He’s right. I didn’t come in through any entrance,” she affirmed, her voice light. The woman’s jet black hair was pulled back revealing a slightly round face, deep brown alluring eyes, and slightly broken nose with a bruise smacked on top. She had obviously been in a scuffle beforehand. 

“Who are you?” Steve questioned in his firm voice. The woman began walking forward her eyes peering around the beautiful modern kitchen space. She stopped at the large windows that showed the New York skyline, her eyes darkened with a sort of sadness before she turned to face the duo.

“I am here to see Thor...I would appreciate if you could call him,” she explained.

“Why should we do that?” Steve snapped, gripping the pan harder. Her eyes turned to them, a strange light emitting from them.

“Because I said so mortal,” she boomed, her voice resonating through the room, startling them both.

“I’m out!” Sam cried holding his hands up before running straight to the side door he entered from. Steve gulped and put the pan back down.

“I will contact Thor ma’am,” J.A.R.V.I.S announced. The woman smiled and took a seat at the dining room table. Steve watched as she stared out into the skyline, an apple appearing in her hand.

_A few moments later..._

“I didn't know there were any left,” Thor whispered in awe as he watched the woman munch on an apple.

“What do you mean?” Steve asked.

“That is a god. The ones from your world were created by my ancestors a millenia ago. A few were created at first and those had offspring. I thought they had died of,” Thor explained his eyes trained on her.

“How did you find her?” Thor suddenly asked turning to Steve, his tall body towering over Steve.

“I didn't. She came here and told us to call you,” Steve replied, sneaking a peek back to the supposed goddess.

“Has she said what she is or her name?” Thor inquired. Steve shook his head.

“Interesting,” Thor said with awe in his voice. Thor slowly opened the side door that led to the kitchen area as if to not startle the woman, and began walking to her. The goddess turned around and immediately stood up.

“You requested my presence,” Thor smiled. The goddess smiled back. Steve hadn’t realized how short the woman was until she stood near Thor. She couldn’t have been taller than five foot three.

“Hello Thor it’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she greeted shaking his large calloused hand. Thor could feel her strong power exuding from her hand. Slowly the team began walking in to watch the interaction. A confused Steve, a still startled Sam, a suspicious Natasha and Clint who had heard of the newcomer from Sam, and finally Tony and Bruce who had just returned from their time in the labs.

“Well who is this?” Tony asked approaching the olive skinned goddess. She gave another wide smile as she extended her hand to the billionaire.

“I am Reyna Goddess of War, Battle, and Valor. Daughter of Zeus and Hera. It’s a pleasure to meet y’all,” she proclaimed with a slight bow of her head. The team stilled, startled faces turning to Thor for an explanation.

“Welcome to Avengers Tower Reyna,” Thor replied, respectfully bowing his head in reply.

“Uh, I’m Tony Stark,” Tony added, retracting his hand carefully.

“Well this is gonna be one heck of a night,” Clint sighed as the team introduced themselves to the goddess. A heck of a night indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

“Wait so you’re an actual goddess?” Tony asked as they all sat around the living room area of the Tower. Reyna nodded as she sipped the beer Tony had offered her. She grimaced slightly at the taste and with a wave of her hand, her preferred beer of choice replaced the can in her hand.

“Like from Ancient Greece?” Bruce questioned as he sat next to Natasha.

“Yes, the Greeks and Romans praised us greatly but we weren't just praised by them,” Reyna answered staring at her drink absentmindedly.

“ _Reyna_ doesn’t seem like a very Greek name,” Natasha noted, crossing her arms. Natasha wasn’t exactly warm towards newcomers and she wasn’t entirely convinced that this small woman was a goddess of battle.

“We've been given many names, even depicted in different forms. But as of late I've chosen to be named Reyna,” she replied with a shrug. The team still looked confused.

"It's a long complicated history and we'd be here for ages if I explained it all but in a nutshell we took the form of the culture or peoples that we felt most connected to," Reyna explained.

“And anyways do I look of _European_ descent to you?” Reyna guffawed, her black tresses shaking as she laughed. Her dark brown eyes caught Steve’s and she winked, making Steve blush lightly, a pink tinge on his chiseled cheeks.

“What of the others?” Thor inquired his face with a tint of awe. Reyna took a pause, her eyes clouded with a deep sadness.

“Many have gone missing or abandoned their posts. Some even killed by another god or monster. My twin brother, most commonly known as Ares, hasn't been seen since the Second World War,” she explained taking a final gulp of her beer.

“Your twin brother is Ares?” Clint gaped, stopping his finger drumming session.

“He was god of war, battlelust blah blah blah,” she said with a sad smile on her face.

“My father said it was if we were carved from the same stone but I came out much smoother,” Reyna reminisced with a short laugh. The team couldn’t quite believe that this seemingly normal woman was a goddess that was once revered by humans. Whilst Thor had a manner of speaking not from this world and a god like appearance, Reyna could have easily blended in with the crowds.

“Why did you come back?” Tony inquired. Reyna placed her beer on the small table besides her and pushed a few stray hairs away from her eyes.

“I abandoned humans after the Second World War. I felt a conflict that I had never felt inside me. The old me would have reveled in all the destruction but I couldn't believe what man had done,” Reyna said shakily.

“I was actually in Greece when the Nazis invaded...I lived alone so I hadn’t known anything about them. But then I realized what they were and I instantly knew my brother had something to do with it,” Reyna explained. Steve’s face turned somber at her words.

“I tried to stop it I truly did. I killed every goddamn Nazi I could find but they never stopped. I tried to influence their minds but my brother was too strong!” Reyna snapped clenching her fists tightly.

“I saw how they slaughtered women and children with their guns and bombs...how they put those innocent people in those....those wretched camps,” Reyna cried, her face full of disgust. They could tell the guilt was hurting her and her eyes began to glow that strange light. She shut her brown eyes and gave a deep breath. 

“It isn’t easy being a god in this world....but the reason I came back was because I saw you guys...then when I saw Thor I knew I had to reach out,” Reyna finished. The room was quiet for a moment before Thor spoke up.

“You are always welcome here Reyna,” Thor told the obviously distressed goddess.

“I mean who are we to refuse a god!” Tony laughed. The team all chuckled at his comment. Reyna’s eyes softened, her hands relaxing.

“I just wanted to get the chance to meet Thor. I needed to know there are still those like me,” Reyna murmured standing up from the leather lounge chair.

“Where are you going?” Thor asked confused.

“To my apartment, I’ve already overstayed my visit,” she concluded.

“You could stay for a while more,” Bruce argued. Natasha shot him a look that would have sent chills down even the cruelest of people.

“You know since you’re already here you could help us out with something,” Tony began, standing up and walking to the mini bar.

“With what?” Reyna asked, her brown eyes narrowing with slight suspicion.

“Well we’re going to go after a HYDRA base, I’m sure you’ve heard of them, and we’re retrieving a scepter of great importance to Thor..,” Tony continued to explain.

"And you want me to join you,” Reyna finished. Steve was going to open his mouth to protest but was cut off by Bruce who beat him to it.

“Tony you can’t just ask her to join us on a mission,” Bruce scolded Tony. Tony shrugged, taking a sip of his scotch.

“You guys always complain we need more manpower on missions so why not? I’m sure that after centuries out of action Reyna would be more then happy to do what she was born to do,” Tony retorted. Reyna teetered on the balls of her feet and stared down at the ground.

“Well....if the rest of your team agrees I wouldn’t mind dipping my toes back into battle,” Reyna said. Natasha’s face remained emotionless her green eyes narrowed, Clint shrugged and reclined back on the couch, Bruce nodded with a small smile, Steve look apprehensive but soon nodded in agreement, and Thor clapped his hands together before shouting; “Finally another god!”. Steve stood up and stepped towards Reyna, his muscular body towering over her.

“Well welcome to the Avengers ma’am. We leave in the morning,” Steve announced, his Captain America voice shining through, shaking her small hand.

 


	3. Chapter 3

The goddess stepped out of the tiny uncomfortable changing room on the Quinjet, meeting the eyes of a groggy team. The Quinjet jostled due to the turbulence preventing the team from napping. Reyna teetered once more on her feet, to steady her balance. Reyna's attire was quite worn and she she felt odd in it. Her black breastplate had long dark scratches, evidence of the centuries of battle. Attached to her strong shoulders was a dark purple cape that went to her knees, leaving her shoulders exposed. She could feel their stares on her adding to the mounting anxiety buzzing in her body.

“What never seen a god before,” Reyna chided as she walked over to an empty seat.

“None with armor like that,” Tony chuckled reclining back into his chair.

“This was created and forged by my brother Mr.Stark” Reya retorted sending Tony a pointed look. Tony gulped silently and walked off to the cockpit not wanting to offend the newcomer. Reyna took a seat towards the back and took out an Ipod from her bag, plugging her headphones in. Steve took this time to study the goddess. Reyna stared at the wall, her eyes finally displaying intricate emotions that he couldn't describe. The bruise from before was gone, her sloped nose was still a bit broken. She had a resting serious, stoic face but smile lines framed her mouth. She exuded a quiet confidence but her leg jiggled as she bounced it up and down. Soon an hour that felt like mere minutes, passed before JARVIS announced their arrival to Sokovia.

“We have arrived to our destination,” JARVIS announced making Reyna jump up peeking out the side window like an eager child. It was still slightly dark and snow littered the forest floor giving the surrounding area an eerie feeling. Beautiful nonetheless.

“It’s beautiful,” Reyna smiled serenely. The beauty of the world never ceased to amaze her even after centuries of seeing it.

“No time to admire the scenery! We only have a little time before we lose the element of surprise,” Clint shouted over the noise of the Quinjet door opening, sending in the harsh winter winds. The wind made her black tresses blow around her face annoyingly. Thor nudged her silently before handing her a black hair tie. Reyna tilted her head in a silent ‘thank you’ before turning her attention to the blonde super soldier before her.

“Ok guys Tony is in charge of getting us into the base, everyone else our objective is to move in and take out as many guys to clear a path towards the base,” Steve instructed as he placed his helmet on. Steve turned to Reyna and glanced at her exposed arms wondering how the hell she could fight in this weather.

“Reyna you can ride with me and once we get close you can just follow along with the rest of us,” Steve told her. Reyna nodded in understanding as she tied her hair up.

“We all have different fighting techniques but-” Tony began to explain but Reyna cut him off with her hand.

“Mr.Stark I am the Goddess of Battle. I can fight with or against anyone,” Reyna reminded him. 

“Ok everyone let’s go!” Steve shouted ignoring the slight tension. Tony immediately flew up above the trees, Thor following as he swung his hammer. Natasha and Clint sprinted ahead of them to scout the first HYDRA agents. Bruce shuffled nervously at the edge of the Quinjet.

“Don’t be nervous Mr. Banner,” Reyna assured him with her small smile that seemed to put the man at ease. Bruce shyly nodded before transforming into his Hulk form. Reyna watched in amazement as he trudged away to join the fight.

“Care to hop on?” Steve asked preparing his shield. Reyna got on his motorcycle sitting behind the super-soldier, her warm hands going around his waist.

“Aren’t you cold?” Steve asked as he began to drive behind the group. The crisp cool air whipped her cape around her and already she could hear the sounds of battle, guns and shots being fired. Somehow she felt at peace through all the commotion, her brain already whirring through the various situations that could arise.

“No! I'm fine!” Reyna shouted over the blasts that began to occur around them.

_A few moments later..._

“Shit!” Tony cried swerving away from a blast, colliding with the side of the base.

“Language! JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?” Steve responded with a roll of his eyes. Reyna snickered as she held onto Steve’s body, cold wind whipping around them. As they As they passed several HYDRA soldiers, Reyna used her double-edged sword to slice through them with ease whilst Steve used his shield to strike those around them. Reyna was thoroughly impressed with the Avengers skills; Natasha kicked and shot as she drove a car rapidly through the forest, Clint next to her never missing as he let his arrows fly, Thor using hammer to summon thunder while simultaneously using his strength against the enemy, Tony swerved through the trees taking out HYDRA agents like nothing, and the Hulk assisting with the must larger jobs.

“The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken,” J.A.R.V.I.S replied in his usual posh voice. That was certainly true, Reyna thought. She hadn’t seen something like this in a long time. It wasn’t bullets but some form of energy blast.

“Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it. At long last,” Thor boomed as he landed on top of an unsuspecting enemy.

“At long last is lasting a little guys,” Natasha sighed as she took down more enemies in her impressive Black Widow style.

“Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise,” Clint said slightly disappointed whilst destroying a bunker with a single arrow.

“Wait a second. No one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said "language?" Tony asked bewildered.

“I know, it just slipped out,” Steve rolled his light blue eyes. He was about to ask Reyna to slide off but she beat him to the punch. Reyna let go of his waist and crouched on the seat before jumping backwards, her feet landing with a thud on the snowy ground. Steve then threw his bike at at a truck full of soldiers approaching successfully destroying both his motorcycle and the truck.

With a speed that could rival a cheetah her boot-clad feet ran forward to her first group of victims, her fists pummeling the enemy. Men went flying around her as she kicked them across the forest as if soccer balls. Her double edged sword appeared into her strong hands, striking an agent through his chest. Her brown eyes filled with that strange light that signaled her power. With a mighty roar she spun her sword through the air striking several men at once. A circular black shield hammered through the enemy breaking bones with sickening crunches. The energy blasts that hit her body simply did nothing at first but the increase in hits on her tanned body caused a few to cause bruises on her arms and legs. Steve watched amazed as she grabbed a burly man three times her size by his neck and swung him around like a rag doll before slamming his stunned body on the cold ground. The others around her continued their descent on the base, secretly grateful for the added manpower on their side. As Tony attempted to break the barrier to enter the base, JARVIS alerted him to a new development.

“Sir, the city is taking fire,” JARVIS warned. Tony sighed and shook his head.

“Well, we know Strucker's not going to worry about civilian casualties. Send in the Iron Legion,” Tony directed. Reyna watched several suits fly above her straight towards the Sokovian city. She began to trek forward looking for more HYDRA soldiers before she felt something shift around her. A speeding figure barreled straight towards her, a streak of blue, but she moved away in time to see the man with silver hair. Clint was not so lucky.

Clint was hit by the man as he attempted to take down another bunker, his body twirling in the air. As Clint stood up, a gun fired a shot at him from a nearby bunker hitting the side of his stomach. Reyna heard his cry of pain and began running towards him, striking the soldiers that approached her, their blood splattering on the snowy floor. Natasha reached him first and quickly pulled him out of the line of fire.

“We have an enhanced in the field,” Steve warned as he landed steadily on his feet after being thrown in the air by the speeding figure.

“Clint's hit!” Natasha cried as she took out some emergency medication, shots of energy blasts firing down on them.

“Somebody want to deal with that bunker?” Natasha pleaded.

“On it,” Reyna answered with concerned eyes, running full speed towards the bunker, energy blasts missing her head by mere millimeters.

“Holy shit,” Clint whispered groggily, as he watched Reyna kick her leg on to the side of the bunker completely knocking it down, debris filling the air.

“Thank you,” Natasha breathed as she applied pressure to Clint’s wound. Reyna shook off the debris from her body before joining Natasha's side.

“You’re really strong,” Clint slurred his face contorting in pain.

“Don’t strain yourself Mr.Barton,” Reyna admonished holding his hand gently. Clint smiled at her title for him.

“Clint...just Clint,” he murmured before his eyes closed.

“Clint keep your eyes open!” Natasha warned her eyes filling with worry. Reyna could tell she cared deeply for the archer so she squeezed Natasha’s arm reassuringly.

“Stark, we're really need to get inside,” Steve reminded Tony who was flying around the base.

“I'm closing in. JARVIS, am I...closing in? Do you see a power source for that shield?” Tony muttered as he scoured the base for entries.

“There's a pathway below the north tower,” JARVIS replied calmly.

“Great, I wanna poke it with something,” Tony answered. Tony then blew up the invisible shield on the base.

“Drawbridge is down, people,” Tony announced to everyone. Steve and Thor then regrouped not that far from where Clint, Natasha, and Reyna were situated.

“The enhanced?” Thor questioned peering around the forest.

“He's a blur. All the new player's we've faced, I've never seen this. In fact, I still haven't,” Steve replied also looking around for this strange man.

“Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac,” Natasha said into the comms as Reyna helped her keep pressure on Clint’s wound.

"I can get Barton to the jet. The sooner we're gone the better. You and Stark secure the scepter,” Thor told Steve.

"I’ll help with Clint,” Reyna added.

“Copy that,” Steve responded feeling relieved that Reyna was quickly finding her place on the team.

“It looks like they're lining up,” Thor mused referring to the approaching soldiers in their HYDRA tank.

“Well, they're excited,” Steve smirked before lifting his shield up. Like they practiced many times, Thor pounded Mjolnir on Steve's shield causing a force that knocked down all the soldiers and split the tank in half.

“Find the scepter,” Thor reminded Steve as he flew off to help Clint.

“And for gosh sake, watch your language!” Tony mimicked resulting in a light chuckle from Reyna.

“That's not going away anytime soon,” Steve sighed as he jogged to the base. As Steve went off towards the base, Reyna put her arms under Clint’s body.

“I’ll take him,” she murmured softly. She stood up and cradled Clint to her chest with ease. It was almost comical due to the fact that Clint towered over Reyna and was probably twice her weight.

“Be careful with him,” Natasha warned her eyes meeting Reyna’s. Reyna gave her a small smile before taking a few steps forward before her feet took off from the ground. Her body flew through the air swiftly above the treetops, and as she approached the Quinjet her body lowered slowly to not hurt Clint.

“I got you Clint,” she assured the man in her arms and he nodded lazily. Thor landed next to her a few seconds later, assisting her in getting Clint set up in the medical section of the Quinjet.

“We're locked down out here,” Natasha spoke as she watched Reyna fly off with Clint. Natasha was surprised at Reyna’s selflessness and caring nature towards the team. It was something she didn’t expect from someone who was killing HYDRA agents without remorse a few minutes beforehand.

“Then get to Banner, time for a lullaby,” Steve replied as he entered the base. As Reyna and Thor worked on Clint, she heard Natasha speaking to Banner. Reyna smiled to herself at the sweetness of it.

“She likes him,” Reyna noted passing Thor some bandages.

“She does though he is blind to it,” Thor replied with a sad smile, his eyes crinkling slightly, intense blue eyes bright. 

“Humans are strange,” she chuckled placing an IV into Clint’s arm as he dozed off oblivious to the chatter above him.

“Indeed they are...they are quite different from my people but yet so similar,” Thor noted.

“Do you miss your people?” she asked Thor looking into his eyes.

“I do, but Earth needs much help,” Thor replied as he finished with Clint.

“It does Thor it really does,” Reyna replied as she watched Clint rest. She could hear the conversations spoken from the base from the earpiece, her gut clenching as she felt some mysterious power coming from the base. Reyna waved the feeling off and sat down carefully inspecting her now healed wounds. Soon Natasha and a slightly disheveled Bruce returned, Tony and Steve close behind holding the scepter they battled for. Steve placed the scepter in a secure container while a slightly frazzled Tony instructed JARVIS to start the Quinjet and soon they were leaving Sokovia. Reyna was going to head over to Tony to ask him if he was feeling well but Natasha spoke out cutting off her conversation with Bruce who was listening to opera music on his headphones.

“Thor, report on the Hulk?” Natasha called out her eyes tired.

“The gates of Hell are filled with the screams of his victims,” Thor boomed lifting his arm. Natasha glared at Thor her red hair whipping around her face as Bruce groaned in despair.

“Uh, but, not the screams of the dead, of course. No no, uh...wounded screams, mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and, and uh... and gout,” Thor cried, realizing his words.

“Hey Banner, Dr. Cho's on her way in from Seoul, is it okay if she sets up in your lab?” Tony asked rescuing Thor from further explanation.

“Uh, yeah, she knows her way around,” Bruce replied waving his hand.

“Thanks,” he replied before directing his words to  JARVIS. “Tell her to prep everything, Barton's gonna need the full treatment,” Tony murmured.

“Very good sir,” the A.I replied.

“JARVIS, take the wheel,” Tony instructed.

“Yes, sir. Approach vector is locked,” he replied. Tony stood up and approached the scepter where Steve, Thor, and Reyna looked down on it. Reyna looked at the scepter in quiet fascination, letting her hair down.

“It feels good, yeah? I mean, you've been after this thing since SHIELD collapsed. Not that I haven't enjoyed our little raiding parties, but...” Tony smiled at the two tall men next to him.

“No, but this...this brings it to a close,” Thor sighed relieved.

“As soon as we find out what else this has been used for. I don't just mean weapons. Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?” Steve asked his eyes cloudy.

“Banner and I'll give it the once before it goes back to Asgard. Is that cool with you?” Tony asked Thor, who nodded his head.

“I mean, just a few days until the farewell party. You're staying right?” Tony questioned.

“Yes, yes, of course. A victory should be honored with revels,” Thor chuckled.

“Yeah. Who doesn't love revels. Captain? Reyna?” Tony asked the pair.

“Hopefully this puts an end to the Chitauri and HYDRA, so. Yes, revels,” Steve smiled. Reyna didn’t feel so confident about that statement but smiled nonetheless.

“I haven’t been to a party in a while so why not get a little drunk,” Reyna agreed. Tony chuckled before clapping her back.

“You and I are gonna get along just fine kid,” Tony smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

The Avengers Quinjet lands at the Avengers Tower where Barton was taken on a stretcher to the medical unit to have his wound tended to, Natasha following close behind listening intently to the chatter of the nurses.

“Lab's all set up, boss,” Maria Hill says to Steve as she enters the Quinjet passing Thor who dutifully carries the scepter to safety. Reyna looked up from her seat to see a tall woman with dark brown hair tied back into a bun and a stern but kind face.

“Uh, actually, he's the boss. I just pay for everything, and design everything and make everyone look cooler,” Tony replies pointing to Steve.

“What's the word on Strucker?” Steve asks ignoring Tony with a small roll of his eyes.

“NATO's got him,” Maria Hill replies glancing at Reyna who let out a small yawn, stretching her small body, the bones cracking.

“The two enhanced?” Steve asked, gesturing to Reyna to follow them.

“Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins. Orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia had a rough history. It's nowhere special but it's on the way to everywhere special,” Maria replied showing them pictures on her tablet. The twins looked to be at a protest in one of the videos, looking youthful quite different from their ragged look these days.

“Their abilities?” Steve asked Maria as they walked to the elevator.

“He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation,” Maria replied as Reyna nodded in understandment. Steve gave her a funny look of confusion.

“He's fast and she's weird,” Maria rephrased with a shrug.

“Well, they're going to show up again,” Steve said warned his face stern.

“Agreed. File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments. It's nuts,” Maria replies.

“Right. What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?” Steve chuckled dryly pressing the elevator button. Reyna glanced at him with a frown.

“We're not at war, Captain,” Maria noted.

“Well it seems that they are,” Reyna finally said as the elevator doors closed. A deep silence filled the elevator and Reyna peered over at Steve.

“Still in the mood to party?” Reyna tentatively asked. At her soft words Steve couldn’t help but hang his head down, a small chuckle escaping him, his light blue eyes brightening.

“Yes I’m ready for revels as Thor calls it,” he smiled at the goddess.

“There’s that thousand watt smile,” Reyna smirked nudging his body.  The elevator doors opened and Reyna walked out to her floor. Peering over her soldier she called out to Steve-

“Get ready to party old man!” Reyna shouted shimmying her hips before twirling around. Steve rolled his eyes and replied-

“Don’t break a hip grandma!” he shouted back. Reyna’s signature bark of laughter filled the air before the elevator doors closed.

_At the party..._

Reyna floated into the sleek elevator, her wine red dress standing out against her olive skin, her open toed heels clacking on the sleek floor.

“How is the party JARVIS?” Reyna asked as she ascended through the elevator.

“Without you ma’am? A disaster,” the A.I replied making the goddess smirk. The elevator doors parted revealing the grand modern room with several guests already present. While Tony was a strange fellow at times, she couldn’t deny he had impeccable taste. “Captain Rogers,” Reyna nodded approaching Steve and Thor who chatted with several war veterans.

“Reyna!” Steve exclaimed as his eyes settled on her form.

“This my friends is Reyna Goddess of Battle and Valor,” Thor introduced Reyna to the other guests.

Soon he and Thor and the others found themselves listening to her stories ranging from battles fought before the beginning of time to her times in the modern world, her face bright. Eventually Steve, Sam and Reyna found themselves sitting in the couch area sipping their respective drinks as the two soldiers asked her questions.

“War is nothing to celebrate,” Reyna spoke staring at her drink intently before kicking her heels off and tucking her feet beneath her.

“But you’re the goddess of battle?” Sam asked confused gracing his face.

“My title does not mean I am for war, that is my brother. I am goddess of warriors who defend against evil. I will battle against evil until there is no more......but evil always lurks no matter what,” Reyna explained. Sam and Steve’s heads cocked slightly in wonder. As the hours went on the guests eventually all left leaving behind the team. The rest of them joined Sam, Steve, and Reyna on the couches and currently they were discussing Thor’s hammer.

“But, it's a trick!” Clint cried referring to Thor’s hammer who rested on the table.

“Oh, no. It's much more than that,” Thor chuckled leaning back in his chair.

“Uh, "Whosoever be he worthy shall have the power!" Whatever man! It's a trick,” Clint said. The group let out laughs at his words shaking their heads, getting comfortable in their seats. The dim lights and New York City skyline around them allowed the team to wind down from the mission a few hours beforehand.

“Well please, be my guest,” Thor smiled gesturing to the hammer on the messy table stacked with beer and chinese food.

“Come on,” Tony encouraged with his signature smirk.

“Really?” Clint asked looking around to study the teams faces. Everyone nodded their heads in unison.

“Yeah!” Clint finally said standing up.

“Oh this is gonna be beautiful,” James snickered.

“Clint, you've had a tough week, we won't hold it against you if you can't get it up,” Tony told the archer making Reyna let out a bark of laughter, her raven hair shaking around her face.

“You know I've seen this before, right,” Barton says as he grabs Thor's hammer. His face contorted into a tight grimace as he pulled with all his might.

“I still don't know how you do it,” Clint laughed  to Thor after failing to lift the hammer.

“Smell the silent judgment?” Tony snickers.

“Please, Stark, by all means,” Clint cries and Tony waltzes up unbuttoning his jacket with a dramatic flair.

“Oh, here we go,” Natasha rolls her eyes in affection. Soon it was an all out who-is-the-worthy-one challenge. Tony, Rhodes, Bruce attempted but failed miserably making Reyna giggle at their antics. Next Steve got up to try prove his worth and Reyna could sense a change in the atmosphere of the room.

“Let's go, Steve, no pressure,” Tony smiled cheekily.  

“Come on Steve!” Reyna laughed. Steve started to pull on the hammer, and as Reyna suspected the hammer budged a small amount making Thor look a little alarmed. Steve still failed to lift it and Thor laughed with relief shaking his head to himself.

“ Nothing,” Thor chuckled.

“And?” Tony asked peering around the room.

“Widow?” Bruce asked Natasha.

“Oh, no no. That's not a question I need answered,” Natasha shook her head, sipping her beer.

“Reyna?” Steve asked the goddess who sat on the floor surrounded by boxes of chinese food.

“I am already a god,” Reyna shook her head.

“All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged,” Tony shrugged.

“You bet your ass,” Clint laughed.

“Steve, he said a bad language word,” Maria taunted pointing to Clint.

“Did you tell everyone about that?” Steve asked Tony his face going red.

“The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code. "Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints" is, I think, the literal translation?” Tony explained standing up.

“Yes, well that's, uh, that's a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one. You're all not worthy,” Thor replies tossing his hammer around. There's a chorus of disagreement from the others that makes both gods in the room chuckle benignly before a loud screeching noise filled the room, causing everyone to cover their ears. They let their hands down as it faded slowly, a disfigured robot walking in below them, oil dripping from its body. A chill went up Reyna’s spine, her hand tingling in anticipation for the upcoming fight.

“Worthy... No... How could you be worthy? You're all killers,” the robot sneered.

“Especially you Goddess of Battle.....Bringer of Death,” it said lowly staring at Reyna. Reyna’s eyes filled with that strange light at his words, her small fists clenching.

“Stark,” Steve warned, placing his hand on Reyna’s shoulder, who calmed slightly at his touch.

“JARVIS,” Tony murmured tapping the screen of his controller.

“I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or...I was a-dream?” the robot asked stumbling around.

“Reboot, Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit,” Tony said with a bit more urgency in his voice.

“There was a terrible noise...and I was tangled in... in...strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy,” the robot said stumbling around.

“You killed someone?” Steve asked his face taking his signature serious look.

“Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices,” he continued.

“Who sent you?” Thor questioned.

“" _I see a suit of armor around the world_ ",” Tony's voice comes out of the magled robots mouth resonating through the room.

“Ultron,” Bruce sighs in distress.

“In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this...chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission,” Ultron snaps.

“What mission?” Natasha asks tentatively.

“Peace in our time,” Ultron replies darkly. Suddenly the Iron Legion bots break in smashing through the walls and attack the team. Steve immediately kicked the table up to shield himself and Reyna as a bot smashed into them throwing them back to the floor. Reyna’s dress immediately transformed into her armor, her obsidian black shield appeared in her tan arm, a long silver spear appearing in the other.

“Why couldn't they throw me into a couch,” Reyna muttered to herself as the spear left her hand, hitting a bot so hard in the head it was flung back into the wall. Thor and Maria had already engaged in battle, as the rest of the team ducked for cover. Debris and bullets filling the air and team members were thrown left and right. Natasha jumped over the bar, dragging Bruce down towards her as the Iron Legions continue to attack them.

“Sorry!” Bruce cries.

“Don't turn green!” Natasha pleads.

“I won't!” Bruce replied.

“Stark!” Steve shouted as Tony attempted to shut down one of the Iron Legions bots.

“One sec, one sec!” Tony called out as the bots malfunctioned.

“Hurry up,” Reyna sneered as a bot swung a metal fist into her face. Her head was thrust to the side, her jaw cracking. Reyna let out a roar of rage, grasping the bot with her bare hands ripping it apart with immense strength. Steve was then pushed into the wall, tiles erupting with the impact.

“We are here to help. We are here to help...,” the Iron legion bot repeated as Tony continued to try and shut down one of the Iron Legions bots.

“No more. That's the one,” Tony said as he managed to shut down the one of the Iron Legion bots, pushing a metal rod into its body, before falling to the ground with a grunt of pain.

“Cap!” Clint called out throwing Steve’s shield at him. Steve used his shield to dismember the last Iron Legion with an impressive twirl of his body.

“That was dramatic! I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to...evolve? With these? These puppets? There's only one path to peace: The Avengers' extinction,” Ultron growls. Suddenly Thor throws his hammer at Ultron and smashes him to pieces and after Thor destroys his body, Ultron starts to sing.

“I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me, no strings on me,” Ultron says eerily. Reyna walks over to Ultron before smashing it one last time with her boot. Her head turned to meet their gaze, her eyes fierce.

“ _Estupidos_ _mortales_ ,” she snapped as she she strapped her shield to her back before walking towards the balcony, past the destruction.

“Where are you going?” Clint shouted after her.

“To find that scepter,” she replied coldly, her black hair rustling in the cold New York wind.

“I will join you,” Thor announced and soon the two gods flew off into the dark sky.

“She’s right you guys are stupid,” Natasha snapped as she led a shocked Helen towards the lab, a slightly limping Maria close behind.

_Back in the lab...._

“All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch,” Bruce said in disbelief.

“Ultron,” Steve huffed with a shake of his head.

“He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other,” Natasha explained crossing her arms.

“He's in your files, he's in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?” James says.

“Nuclear codes,” Maria concluded.

“Nuclear codes. Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can,” James said exasperated.

“Nukes? He said he wanted us dead,” Natasha snapped.  

“He didn't say dead. He said extinct,” Steve corrected her.

“He also said he killed somebody,” Clint said.

“But there wasn't anyone else in the building,” Maria stated, confused.

“Yes there was,” Tony murmured sadly as he brought up the now destroyed 3D image of JARVIS' consciousness.

“This is insane,” Bruce breathed stepping forward to inspect it.

“JARVIS was the first line of defense. He would've shut Ultron down, it makes sense,” Steve frowned.

“No, Ultron could've assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy, this is...rage,” Bruce pondered.

“Woah, woah, woah! It's going around,” Clint cried as Reyna entered the lab her face filled with annoyance, her power filling the air. She walked up to Tony a dangerous look in her eyes. Her hand grasped Tony’s arm with such a force he thought she was going to rip it clean off.

“Dang you're actually pretty strong,” Tony snapped as Reyna grasped his arm tightly preventing him from moving.

“You are an irresponsible man, I don’t know why I believed you were doing good!” Reyna sneered before Thor stepped in grabbing Tony by the neck.

“Come on. Use your words, buddy,” Tony gasped out as his feet barely grazed the floor.

“I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark,” Thor growled.

“Thor! The Legionnaire,” Steve snapped. Thor let go of Stark with a glare, Reyna crossed her arms and stared at the scene before her. _Mortals,_ she thought with a shake of her head.

“Trail went cold about a hundred miles out but it's headed north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again,” Thor snapped in annoyance.

“The genie's out of that bottle. Clear and present is Ultron,” Natasha said.

“I don't understand. You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?” Helen asked turning to look at the group. Tony began laughing, causing Bruce to subtly shake his head at him to get him to stop.

“You think this is funny?” Thor chuckled darkly.

“No. It's probably not, right? Is this very terrible? Is it so...is it so...it is. It's so terrible,” Tony snapped.

“This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand,” Thor said.

“No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this,” Tony sneered.

“Tony, maybe this might not be the time to..,” Bruce admonished.

“Really?! That's it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls,” Tony barked.

“Only when I've created a murder bot,” Bruce retorted his eyes wide.

“We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?” Tony asked.

“Well, you did something right. And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different than SHIELD,” Steve said sternly.

“Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?” Tony asked the group.

“No, it's never come up,” James feigned ignorance.

“Saved New York?” Tony continued.

“Never heard that,” James shook his head.

“Recall that? A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it,” Tony cried.

“And where were you?” Tony cried pointing at Reyna who remained silent through his tirade. Reyna remained stoic faced and continued her silence. She wasn’t going to explain herself to them all.

“We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but, that up there? That's...that's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that?” Tony explained.

“Together,” Reyna finally spoke up. The group turned to look at her.

“I know I have abandoned this world and left you to suffer through battles alone, but I won’t do it again.  I’m here to join y’all and help you guys defeat whatever comes this way. We’ll fight together,” Reyna explained.

“We'll lose,” Tony replied.

“Then we'll do that together, too,” Steve said as Tony looked at him for a moment before turning away.

“Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller,” Steve commanded.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow 657 hits! Thanks to everyone who reads! Comments always appreciated :)

Reyna had been staying with them for only a few days and was in need of some personal items after it was decided she would stay with them to continue the search of Ultron and the scepter. Reyna and Steve made there way towards the elevator as everyone made their separate ways for the night.  No one was in a good mood after losing the scepter and being threatened by Ultron. There was a looming battle but Reyna felt at peace. She was the Goddess of Battle after all.

“I need to get some stuff from my place,” Reyna told Steve as they walked over glass shards and broken furniture. He peered down at her watching as her armor faded away revealing her previous red dress.

“I’m sure Tony can get some people over there,” Steve replied pressing the touch pad opening the elevator. But Reyna shook her head, her black tresses shaking.

“Come with me,” Reyna told him, not exactly asking. She offered her tan arm and Steve tentatively took it.

“It'll only take us a moment,” Reyna assured him pushing up her glasses onto the bridge of her nose. Before Steve could reply there was a sort of rush of wind and the buzz of energy surrounding his body. He blinked rapidly and he found himself in a small cozy apartment.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Reyna smiled gesturing to the apartment.

“Wow,” was all Steve could manage as he peered around seeing the various artifacts and posters that filled her home.

“Look around if you'd like” Reyna told him as she began to pack stuff into a duffel bag. Steve studied the various posters of bands and musicians, new artists too. Stacks upon stacks of books lined the walls, some looking on the verge of falling apart, others new.

“I have several things from the different eras that I’ve lived through,” Reyna explained as she grabbed a few of her favorite books and a few trinkets.

“So you mean all of them?” Steve teased as he picked up a golden dagger that seemed to glow. Reyna let out a bark of laughter at his words.

“True old man,” she smiled. Steve then eyed a few comics in a box next to her dresser. Reyna followed his eyes and smirked. Reyna thrust her hand out and a comic flew into her hand.

“Captain America original edition,” Reyna breathed showing him a vintage comic. Nostalgia stirred in Steve’s chest causing it to constrict.

“I never saw you during the war but I heard many stories about you,” Reyna murmured.

“I’ve heard many stories about you,” Steve replied giving her a smile. An unreadable emotion passed quickly through her face before the smile replaced it.

“The Greeks and Romans referred to me as Bellona or Enyo.....a destructive goddess of war. I suppose I was at one point. But that’s not who I truly am. My brother tried to corrupt my mind like he had done to many men. I don’t enjoy killing or setting cities on fire like him,” Reyna explained shaking her head. Reyna straightened and grabbed her duffel bag.

“Let’s go back. We have to continue finding leads,” Reyna said and offered Steve her arm again. Steve grabbed her hand and this time he was more prepared for the rush that followed. He opened his cyan eyes and they reappeared in front of the elevator.

“Good night Steve I’ll see you in the morning,” Reyna said but when he turned to look at her she was gone.

_A few hours later...._

The next morning after mostly everyone got at least a few hours of sleep, Steve gathered the the team into one of the many offices of the Tower and as everyone settled in he brought out a tablet with a photo of Strucker's dead body.

“What's this?” Tony asked confused for a moment as he peered over Steve’s shoulder.

“A message. Ultron killed Strucker,” Steve replied his chiseled face contorted in annoyance.

“And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us,” Tony rued.

“This is a smokescreen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?” Natasha asked from her seat.

“Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss,” Steve replied setting down the tablet. Reyna watched as Natasha quickly typed something into the computer.

“Yeah, I bet he...,” Natasha trails off before looking up from the computer monitor.

“Yep. Everything we had on Strucker has been erased,” Natasha said.

“Not everything,” Tony noted before leading them towards another room. Soon the team was going through the physical files they had on Strucker which happened to be trapped in stacks upon stacks of paper.

“Takes me back to the old days of paper,” Reyna mused and Clint snickered.

“Known associates. Well, Strucker had a lot of friends,” Steve frowned as he read the files.

“Well, these people are all horrible,” Bruce said his brows furrowing.

“Wait. I know that guy,” Tony interrupted as he peered over at Bruce’s files. Bruce passes him the photo he was looking at. It was a picture of an older looking man with a scar on his face.  

“From back in the day. He operates off the African coast, black market arms,” Tony explained and Steve gave him an accusing look.

“There are conventions, alright? You meet people, I didn't sell him anything. He was talking about finding something new, a game changer, it was all very "Ahab,” Tony explains defensively.

“This,” Thor said pointing to the scar on the back of Klaus's neck.

“Uh, it's a tattoo. I don't think he had it...,” Tony said confused.

“No, those are tattoos, this is a brand,” Thor said. Bruce quickly identifies the brand on Klaus's neck on the computer.

“It means thief,” Reyna explained glancing at the screen.

“What dialect?” Steve asked.

“Wakandan,” Reyna answered as she flipped through some files. Memories of Wakanda filled her mind and she smiled to herself at the fond memories.

“If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods...,” Tony said trailing off.

“I thought your father said he got the last of it?” Steve asked Tony.

“I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?” Bruce asked looking back and forth between Steve and Tony.

“The strongest metal on earth,” Tony replied looking at Steve’s shield.

“You think someone would give up _all_ of their Vibranium? Absolutely not. I can bet there’s plenty left,” Reyna said standing up from the chair.

“Where is this guy now?” Steve asked Tony looking stern.

[Salvage Yard, African Coast]

It only took a few minutes before they found the location of Ulysses Klaue and soon they were landing on the coast, hiding the Quinjet towards the trees. Old ships and shipping containers littered the coast and Reyna frowned at the scent of the sea. Not may good memories accompanied the sea for her.

“Detecting heat signatures from the large shipping container to the left,” FRIDAY announced as the team began getting up from there seats.

“Well let’s make sure this goes smoothly I don’t want a large fight,” Steve announced grabbing his shield.

“Stay here Bruce,” Tony directed and Bruce nodded rubbing his arms anxiously.

“The two mutants are with him,” Reyna said as she grabbed her sword. She had been sharpening it on the ride there and it finally looked sharp and clean. She gazed at her sword for a moment looking at her reflection in the silver.

“Then be extra careful,” Natasha advised the team. The team nodded and began making their way to the shipping yard.

“How do you know they're in there?” Clint asked Reyna.

“I have some _supernatural_ abilities if you couldn’t already tell,” she replied cracking a smile. They climbed into the ship through an old rusty door that Thor had ripped open. They could hear various voices and machines whirring.

“Let’s drop in shall we,” Natasha smirked and Clint climbed up to the top of level. Thor and Steve ran up to the main level and were met with Ultron and the twins who were mid-conversation. Tony dropped down from the ceiling in his Iron Man suit, Reyna landing next to him her spear and shield ready.

“Ahh, Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart,” Tony sighed.

“If I have to,” Ultron replied, his glowing eyes trained on Tony.

“We don't have to break anything,” Thor said attempting to keep the situation calm.

“Clearly you've never made an omelet,” Ultron retorted.

“He beat me by one second,” Tony murmured.

“Ah, this is funny, Mr. Stark. It's what, comfortable? Like old times?” Pietro asked rolling his shoulders back, his knotted silver hair framing his face.

“This was never my life,” Tony said looking down.

“You two can still walk away from this,” Steve told Wanda and Pietro.

“Oh, we will,” Wanda replied in her thick accent. The twins looked extremely agitated with every passing second and Reyna knew that Tony's wish of not having a fight was not going to happen.

“We don’t have to fight,” Reyna said to the twins taking a step forward.

“Uuughh! Captain America. God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but...,” Ultron gagged before turning to look at Reyna.

“And who is this? Goddess of Battle and Valor. I’m surprised you would bother with these people. They are weak and lack everything you stand for,” Ultron chuckled.

“I’d like to say I’m surprised that you have to recruit a couple of kids to destroy the world with you but then I’d be lying. Not strong enough to do it alone?” Reyna snapped back her eyes filling with power.

“If you believe in peace, then let us keep it,” Thor warned.

“I think you're confusing peace with quiet,” Ultron snapped.

“Yuh-huh. What's the Vibranium for?” Tony asked.

“I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan!” Ultron shouts as suddenly the Iron Legions attacks Steve, Reyna and Thor. Ultron shot a blast at Tony throwing him into the wall. Quickly Tony recovered and flew up to then attack Ultron.  

“Shoot them! All of them!” Klaue commanded. 

"Watch out for Klaue's men!" Reyna warned as she readied her stance. Thor and Steve had already engaged in a fight with the bots around them. 

Reyna put her shield up as soon as Wanda shot out a wave of red power at her, the shield quickly absorbing it. Wanda look confused for a moment and Reyna took her chance to leap up out of the way, landing on the floor above them the floor vibrating under her. Reyna was greeted by men with guns pointed at her ready to shoot the goddess. With a grunt her silver spear went flying, impaling several men at once, before it returned to her hand.

“Can you try not to cause a mess with the blood,” Natasha asked as she electrocuted those around her.

“Afraid I’m gonna get your suit dirty?” Reyna chuckled as she lifted her shield in front of her body, bullets ricocheting off causing sparks to fill the air.

“Just don’t want to be slipping and sliding around here,” Natasha replied.

“Guys, is this a Code Green?” Bruce asked over the comms but everyone was too busy to answer. As they fought Wanda stalked out each team member, her glowing red energy flowed from her hands wrapping around each of them.

“Thor! Status?” Steve asks.

“The girl tried to warp my mind. Take special care, I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty,” Thor boomed before finding himself in a hallucination.  Natasha and Steve soon fell into a trance as well. Wanda attempted to sneak up behind Barton, but he quickly turned and put an electric arrow on her forehead.

“I've done the whole mind control thing. Not a fan,” Clint snapped before Pietro sped in, knocking down Barton who crashes through glass.

“Whoever's standing, we gotta move! Guys?” Clint asked through the comms but before Reyna could answer she felt a presence behind her and when she turned the red haze enveloped her head bringing a searing sting to her brain. The world warped around her and before she knew it screams filled her ears. The haze disappeared revealing a bloody battlefield. It looked like any other warzone to her but she held a bloody sword in her hand. Her body moved in it’s own accord and seemed to seek out any living thing- man, woman, or child. She slashed through people without any remorse. _No...No..No_ , a part of her mind cried. It was that girl. _Witch_ , Reyna sneered. With a loud cry and burst of anger Reyna forced herself to return to the present, punching a nearby wall, her hand ripping through the metal. The red haze immediately disappeared and she looked around. Clint was helping Natasha up while Steve stared at the wall his eyes full of tears while Thor was mumbling to himself nearby.

“Steve we have to go,” Reyna cried grabbing his shoulder tightly. Steve turned to her and nodded silently. Holding his arm tight she led him out with Clint, Natasha and Thor in tow. They managed to make it to the Quinjet and she sat Steve down.

“Stay here with them Clint. Keep an eye on them. I have to find Bruce and Tony,” Reyna instructed. Clint nodded dutifully to the goddess. Reyna immediately set off towards the city and saw Hulk in the distance in a fit of rage.

“Fuck,” she sighed before running full speed towards him. When she ran it felt like she was a burst of wind, her body lightweight, a spark of energy. Tony was also on his way to find Bruce who was ready to wreak havoc on the nearest city.

“Natasha, I could really use a lullaby,” Tony asked through the comms. Barton was seated next to Natasha who seemed to be still stuck in her vision.

“Well, that's not gonna happen. Not for a while. But Reyna is on her way,” Clint replied into the comms as he rubbed Natasha’s back.

As Hulk is wreaked havoc on the city Reyna jumped through the air before landing in front of the Hulk. Tony appeared next to her in his Hulkbuster armor.

“Alright everybody, stand down!” Tony cried.

“We have to calm him down!” Reyna shouted at Tony.

“You’re the goddess!” Tony shouted back.

“I’m not trying to kill him Tony,” Reyna retorted, readying her fighting stance.  

“You listening? That little witch is messing with your mind. You're stronger than her, you're smarter than her, you're Bruce Banner,” Tony shouted making Hulk roar in anger.

“Right, right, right! Don't mention puny Banner,” Tony yelps as Hulk throws a car at Reyna and Tony. The car goes straight towards Reyna. Her vision sharpens  instantly and her body prepares for the impact of this force. As soon as the car hits her body, her arms cross in front of her causing the car to split in half.  

“In the back? Dick move, Banner,” Tony snaps as the Hulk viciously attacks him. Reyna watched as they battled and strapped her sword to her hip. She wasn’t trying to hurt Bruce and even if he seemed indestructible he wasn’t a match for her weapons.

As Hulk destroyed one of Stark's armor arms VERONICA sent in a new Hulkbuster armor arm and Stark uses it to repeatedly punch Hulk.

“Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep!” Tony cried picking up Hulk.

“Get him out of town!” Reyna yelled as she jumped up onto a building and began following Tony as they headed towards the edge of town. But as they head towards a building they crashed into a mall area. Reyna hopped down from the top of a building and ran into the mall careful of the glass that seemed to fly through the air as she followed Tony and Hulk.

“No, not that way, not that way! Come on, Bruce! You gotta work with me!” Tony cried as he continued to battle with him with the Hulk. People began screaming and running around to get away from the destruction and Reyna watched as an elevator dropped as the pair crashed into it. She slid on the floor and reached her hand out grabbing the rope attached to the elevator. The elevator jerked as it stopped mid air, the sudden force on her arm made her cry out.

“Everybody out! Going to get ugly!” Tony cried. As Hulk attacked Stark and pulled out parts of the Hulkbuster armor, Reyna made sure to keep the civilians out of harm's way, using her shield to deflect pieces of metal and debris.

“Damage report,” Tony instructed from inside his suit and the damaged computer buzzed in reply. “That's comprehensive. Show me something,” he continued.  The computer finally managed to show him a tall building ahead which was clear of civilians.

“How quickly can we buy this building?” Stark asked as he managed to pick up Hulk and fly high above the building skyline. As soon as the were above the construction site Tony dropped Hulk through the building completely destroying it. Reyna watched in horror as the building came tumbling down. Running through the streets she made it to the building site at the same time the army arrives to intervene. As Hulk came out of Wanda's mind-hold Reyna sped forward and roundhouse kicked him in the head knocking him out cold. Banner quickly reversed back into his human form and Reyna gently scooped him up. She looked around and saw the destruction created, memories of the past making her flinch. With Bruce back to normal Reyna decided to take the discreet way out and her form disappeared from sight. A few moments later they appeared outside the Quinjet. When she entered with a semi-conscious Banner, the whole team looked up startled.

“He’s waking up,” Reyna states simply setting him down on the floor. Her eyes were distant as if her mind was in another place. Her legs worked automatically walking over to a bench. Laying down in her armor splattered with blood and dirt she stared at the ceiling, the emotional toll of the previous events playing in her head. Before she knew it a few tears fell down her face and they felt like knives against her skin.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Switched the POV to Reyna's, but I can't quite decide if it should continue in her POV or how I had it before so advice is appreciated!

*Reyna’s POV*

As soon as everyone had returned to the Quinjet we had flown out of there not wanting to extend our stay there further. The Quinjet was as quieter than a tomb and no one dared to speak. I could tell that everyone was still trying to shake off the lingering presence of Wanda’s power from their minds. I had managed to shake the remnants of the red glow from my head but from time to time I could hear the screams. In a bid to distract myself I took the opportunity to approach Tony and confront him. Well not confront him per say but to clear the air on a few things. Standing up slowly to not startle anyone I walked over to Tony’s hunched form, my feet making no noise as the Quinjet jostled. Taking a deep breath I crossed my arms before speaking.

“I know what she made you see. Back at the HYDRA lab,” I spoke softly behind Tony who visibly stiffened at my words.

“Yeah the witch made me see things. What about it?” Tony snapped turning to look at me. Ouch. But I could see the vulnerability in his eyes. The Tony in front of me looked incredibly stressed and most of all tired, dark bags under his eyes.

“You can’t let things like that affect you Tony. Especially now. More than ever,” I told him firmly trying to keep the air calm.

“What do you know about that stuff? You're a god,” Tony snapped at me.  Taking a deep breath I crouched down and took Tony’s rough hand into my calloused small one. I could feel his sadness seeping into my hand so I gave him a small grimace of a smile.

“I know it seems like gods can't relate to you mortals but I try to. I understand how your love for the team and need to keep this world safe made you create Ultron. You're not a bad person Tony but you need to learn to see the consequences of things. Mortals have a hard time with that,” I murmured before softly patting his hand. Tony nodded and squeezed my hand back.

“Thanks kid,” Tony murmured. I gave him a salute before quickly returning to my seat next to Natasha who seemed to be barely getting out of the haze. I couldn’t help but pity all the broken heroes around me, all stuck in their thoughts. Quickly I felt someone's steely gaze on me as we sat there in silence.

“Why do you use only a sword and spear?” Natasha suddenly asked quietly in her raspy cool voice. I turned my head slightly and stared into Natasha’s glassy eyes. When I stared into them I could see a glimpse of her past, felt Natasha’s pain with only glimmers of happiness. A red room and many many deaths. I didn’t do it intentionally it was simply something I could always do. But I never dared to delve too far into one’s past. The moment I had met every team member I could feel and see into their past and present, could feel their times of pain, longing, sadness, fear, joy, and glimmers of hope. I quickly saw a soldier, a man who looked extremely familiar from Steve’s memories, but before I could make the connection between these two memories I decided to answer Natasha’s question.

“It takes skill to use a sword or a spear. I can use any gun if I wanted to but then again anyone can. Guns are easy,” I replied with a shrug. Picking up my glinting silver sword from the floor I held it out in my hand and slowly watched it form into a long silver spear, with an end that could cut through anything. I watched Natasha smirk at my words, her pink lips turning upwards. Setting the spear down I smiled at the Russian next to me. I felt a familiarity to Natasha, she reminded me of my own mother in a way. In the days that I had spent with them I had managed to form a good bond with Natasha and under better, less stressful circumstances I would want to develop a friendship with her. I hadn’t had a proper friend in many years.

“I suppose you have a point Reyna,” Natasha replied before closing her eyes and settling further into her chair. I crossed my legs and tried to take a nap like my companion next to me but soon I could hear Maria Hill’s voice from the front of the jet.

“The news is loving you guys. Nobody else is. There's been no official call for Banner's arrest, but it's in the air,” I heard Maria tell Tony. I opened my eyes and could see that Steve had perked up listening to the words. Steve was across from me and as our eyes met I could immediately see the pain etched in them. His face remained passive and stoic like always when he attempted to hide his true emotions.

“Stark Relief Foundation?” Tony asked Maria as he nervously brushed his hand through his hair.

“Already on the scene,” Maria replied before her voice softened. “How's the team?” she asked her tone worried and her eyes attempting to take a peek at the defeated heroes across the screen.

“Everyone's...we took a hit. We'll shake it off,” Tony assured her as he looked back at the group. Bruce was still crouched on the ground, his face holding all the demons that swirled through him.

“Also.....they want to know about Reyna about who she is. They didn’t see much but just a glimpse. What should I tell them?” Maria asked. I perked up at this. It had been years since I’ve been seen in my full armor. I had forgotten to use the spells that conceal my identity.

“Nothing. She’s been out of the public eye and she’ll stay like that,” Tony said and Maria nodded. I silently thanked Tony for his consideration.

“Well for now I'd stay in stealth mode, and stay away from here,” Maria said.

“So, run and hide?” Tony asked.

“Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer,” Maria apologized.

“Neither do we,” Tony sighed before switching off the monitor, before turning to Clint, who was flying the Quinjet. “Hey, you wanna switch out?” Tony asked Clint who seemed the most calm out of everyone.

“No, I'm good. If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time, cause we're still a few hours out,” Clint replied.

“A few hours from where?” I asked approaching the two men.

“A safe house,” Clint replies with a soft smile. Tony and I exchange a smile for our teammate before taking our seats. Propping up my legs onto Natasha’s thighs I decide to take a well deserved nap.

Before I knew it, a few hours later the Quinjet landed outside a large farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. We all stood up and stretched, groans and the sound of bones popping filling the Quinjet. Quietly we followed Clint, trudging through the farmland towards the large picturesque house.

“What is this place?” Thor asked peering around in confusion.

“A safe house?” Tony offered.

“Let's hope,” Clint murmured and as we all entered the quaint home Clint called out, “Honey, I'm home”. I cocked my head in confusion at his statement but my confusion was short lived when slowly a heavily pregnant woman walked in from the kitchen giving us all a tentative smile.

“Hi. Company. Sorry I didn't call ahead,” Clint apologizes while giving her a warm hug and kiss on the forehead. So this was the woman in his mind. I could sense her recurring presence in Clint’s mind everyday and even from the moment we had met. Even as we fought I knew his thoughts would come back to her and to his family.

“Hi,” the beautiful woman greets, holding a protective hand to her belly.

“This is an agent of some kind,” Tony mumbles in shock, his brown eyes wide.  

“Everyone, this is Laura,” Clint introduces his wife, a proud look on his face.

“I know most of your names,” Laura smiles, but we all look at her awkwardly. The only person who didn’t seem so shocked was Natasha. The others looked like fish, eyes wide and mouths opening and closing.  

“Well you don’t know her. This is Reyna the Goddess of Battle,” Clint told Laura gesturing to me. I gave her a quirky smile and a small wave. Laura gave a bow of her head making me let out a laugh.  

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Barton,” I told her sincerely.

“Ooh, incoming,” Clint chuckled as two children, a boy and girl, ran in.

“Dad!” his daughter cries and Clint picks up her up a large smile on his face.

“Lila!” he chuckles before he kisses the top his son's head. “Hey, Cooper! How you guys doing?” Clint asks. I watched with a fond smile at the scene before me reminding me of the happier days, my brother and I greeting my father after his travels.  

“These are...smaller agents,” Tony whispered to the others who’s shocked faces increased tenfold.

“Did you bring Auntie Nat?” Lila asked shyly from her father’s arms.

“Why don't you hug her and find out?” Natasha replied with a large smile. Lila rushed towards Natasha who picked her up in her arms.

“Sorry for barging in on you,” Steve spoke up, finally getting over his shock.

“Yeah, we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed,” Tony replied with a cross of his arms. I gave him a friendly jab on the ribs making his frown disappear.

“Yeah, well Fury helped me set this up when I joined. He kept it off SHIELD's files, I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lay low,” Clint explained. As Natasha fawned over Laura’s growing belly, I watched as Steve followed a troubled looking Thor out into the porch. Giving Tony and Bruce a nod, I walked out towards Steve. As soon as I stepped onto the porch I saw Thor with his hammer out.

“I saw something in that dream. I need answers, I won't find them here,” Thor announced  before swinging his hammer, and soon he was in the sky. Steve’s eyes followed the god’s form in the sky before shaking his head and turning around. Taking a look at his face I knew that something still wasn’t quite right with him. I watched as Steve’s face filled with sorrow and I knew he was still filled with pain from the past. I carefully walked up to him and grasped his arm.

“We can’t dwell on the past Steve,” I admonished him. Steve looked down at me with a pained face. “Let’s go inside,” I instructed and began leading him back into the house and up the stairs in silence where Laura was directing everyone to their rooms. Laura directed Steve and I into a small guest room at the end of the hall. Entering the room I peered around the guest bedroom. Steve appeared behind me looking nervous at the sleeping arrangements. One bed for a super-soldier and goddess to share.

“Left side or right side of the bed?” I asked as I set my shield and sword at the foot of the bed before kicking of my boots.

“Your choice,” Steve replied nonchalantly setting his shield next to mine. We both plopped onto the bed and scooted around a bit before getting a feel for the space. We lied there in silence for a few minutes before Steve’s voice broke the quiet.

“Did she make you see anything?” Steve asked me, his head turning slightly to look at me. I paused for a second and looked into his eyes. I didn't want him to think differently of me but I knew that I had to be honest. 

“She made me see the person I hated the most- myself. The part of me that killed everyone without remorse. The kind of person that the myths spoke about,” I replied quietly, clutching a pillow tightly. Having that part of me come back even if it was a hallucination, made me shudder. “What did she make you see?” I asked him.

“She made me see what I could have had if I didn't go down in the ice. A home like this,” Steve said gesturing to the room. We continued to lay in comfortable silence as we listened to the chatter of the home around us. The kids running around giggling, Tony complaining that someone was taking up the hot water, and Laura rummaging through the kitchen.

“This is nice,” Steve sighed, a serene smile finally gracing his face. No longer was he the steely faced soldier who could silence someone with a hard glare. He was a normal man appreciating a small moment of peace.

“I wish it could be like this always. Quiet, peaceful, a friend like you,” I said nudging Steve’s side. As we laid side by side, our size different was clearly evident. He was a whole foot taller then I and probably weighed twice of me. His feet almost fell over the side of the bed in a comical fashion. Steve smiled gently at my gesture before sitting back up.

“Let’s go help out,” Steve said pulling me up from the bed. I stared down at my dirty armor and decided it was probably time to change into some normal clothes. I immediately began taking off my armour, ignoring Steve’s pink face. In this new age he wasn’t naive to the human body or women in general but her unabashedness stunned him for a moment.

“What are you doing?” Steve coughed averting his eyes, trying to rid himself of the pink on his cheeks.

“Taking off this bloody armor,” I grunted. I wasn’t embarrassed of my soft stomach with small rolls on my hips or my thighs that held some stretch marks behind them or the various scars that littered my body, evidence of the countless battles I’ve endured.

“I’m gonna change,” I yawned and grabbed my small bag of clothes before walking into the bathroom. Steve stood there awkwardly for a moment before putting on his usual stoic face, heading to the other guest bathroom down the hall.

A few moments later I found myself chopping wood alongside Steve, my arms flexing as I brought down the heavy axe. Occasionally I would take a pause to smell the country air around or listen to the birds. Living in the city had made me forgotten the beauty of nature. I could see Steve eyeing my pile of wood that seemed to get bigger and bigger.

“When they said gods were strong I didn’t think this strong,” Steve chuckled. I squinted at him with a smile, pulling my black tresses into a messy bun.

“Afraid of a little competition super soldier?” I asked setting down the axe.

“Me afraid?” Steve feigned disbelief as I gave him a knowing look.

“You like it here?” Steve asked me as I took a seat on the soft grass beneath us.

“It’s peaceful. I’ve become too accustomed to the busy polluted city,” I explained with a dry laugh. I heard footsteps behind us and turned my head to see Tony come up to us axe in hand. He joined us and began to chop the wood slowly as if something was pressing on his mind.

“Thor didn't say where he was going for answers?” Tony asked nonchalantly.

“Sometimes my teammates don't tell me things. I was kind of hoping Thor would be the exception,” Steve replied with a shake of his head. I was a bit shocked at Steve’s tone of voice. We didn’t need anymore arguments at the moment.

“Yeah, give him time. We don't know what the Maximoff kid showed him,” Tony replied shrugging his shoulders.

“I’m sure he’s doing something important don’t doubt him,” I noted, taking another swing of the axe,

“"Earth's Mightiest Heroes." Pulled us apart like cotton candy,” Steve snapped suddenly, his eyes darkening. The air around us shifted into darker territory making me suck in my breathe.

“Seems like you walked away alright,” Tony commented.

“Is that a problem?” Steve asked pausing his work, standing full height like an animal sizing up his enemy.

“I don't trust a guy without a dark side. Call me old fashioned,” Tony shrugged. I could feel the rising tension and debated just leaving them to their own devices.

“Well let's just say you haven't seen it yet,” Steve growled making me shoot him a warning look

“Take it easy,” I warned slinging the axe over my shoulder. I wasn’t in the mood to keep two people from tearing each other apart.

“You know Ultron is trying to tear us apart, right?” Tony stated his face filling with annoyance.

“Well I guess you'd know. Whether you tell us is a bit of a question,” Steve answered his face dark.

“Banner and I were doing research,” Tony began with a roll of his eyes but Steve cut him off.

“That would affect the team,” Steve snapped. My eyes darted between my two comrades, anxiety rising in me.

“That would end the team. Isn't that the mission? Isn't that the "why" we fight, so we can end the fight, so we get to go home?” Tony asked his voice rising. This seemed to be the breaking point for Steve, who ripped a piece of wood in half with his hands. Splinters flew into my hair and I balled my fists.

“Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time,” Steve shouted at Tony.

“Says the war hero,” Tony snarled back.

“Tony relax let’s not argue-,” I said, attempting to diffuse the tension but it seemed that Tony was too agitated to stop.

“So the Goddess of Battle wants to play the voice of reason and calm how interesting,” Tony barked sarcastically. I could feel my heart stop slightly at the comment. Heat rushed to my face and before I could reply Laura’s voice interrupted us.

“I'm sorry. Mr. Stark, uh, Clint said you wouldn't mind, but, our tractor, it doesn't seem to want to start at all. I thought maybe you might-,” Laura began and Tony hung his head before nodding.

“Yeah, I'll give her a kick,” Tony replied in a cooler voice.

“Don't take from my pile,” Tony murmured as he shot Steve and I a withering glance before walking off.

“If a psychotic robot can tear this team apart then y’all arent as strong as I’d thought,” I  snapped, the words leaving my mouth before I could stop them. Steve was slightly shocked at the words. I could tell he was going to attempt to comfort me but I was too upset to care. I slammed my axe on the ground, making the earth around us shake before I sped away and up to the house.

_A few hours later_

In the evening everyone had gathered downstairs for dinner. Plates lay empty and stomachs full. I finally felt a sense of happiness even though tensions were high. I hadn’t had a family dinner or anything close to this in years. More like thousands of years to be exact. I had been introduced to Nick Fury who called it ‘an honor’ to meet me. We were now discussing the ongoing plan at hand. But as everyone spoke I felt a lingering guilt in the back of my mind for the way I had spoken to Steve before running off.

“Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time. My contacts all say he's building something. The amount of Vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing,” Nick said as he crossed his arms.

“What about Ultron himself?” Steve asked. I quickly caught his eye and sent him an apologetic smile. _I’m sorry about earlier_ , I spoke into his mind. His eyes widened for a moment but he quickly recovered. _All is forgiven_ , he replied with a wink.

“Ah. He's easy to track, he's everywhere. Guy's multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though,” NIck replied making me snicker as I munched on a bread roll. I made a mental note to ask Laura for this recipe.

“He still going after launch codes?” Tony asked.

“Yes, he is, but he's not making any headway,” Nick replied.

“I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare,” Tony huffed.

“Showoff,” Clint snickered making Laura elbow him.

“Yeah, well, I contacted our friends at the NEXUS about that,” Fury said.

“NEXUS?” Steve asked confused.

“It's the world internet hub in Oslo, every byte of data flows through there, fastest access on earth,” Bruce explained.

“So what'd they say?” Clint asked.

“He's fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed,” Nick said.

“By whom?” Tony asked confused.

“Parties unknown,” Nick shrugged.

“Do we have an ally?” Natasha asked suddenly intrigued.

“Ultron's got an enemy, that's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is,” Nick warned waving his hands.

“I might need to visit Oslo, find out "unknown",” Tony announced.

“Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that,” Natasha said wryly.

“I do, I have you. And another god,” Fury said gesturing to me. “Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. Here we all are, back on earth, with nothing but our wit, and our will to save the world. So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard,” Fury said.

“Steve doesn't like that kind of talk,” Natasha said slyly with a mischievous smile.

“You know what, Romanoff?” Steve said standing straighter. This made Natasha and I chuckle benignly.

“So what does he want?” Nick asked the room.

“To become better. Better than us. He keeps building bodies,” Steve replied.

“Person bodies. The human form is inefficient, biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it,” Tony stated.

“When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed,” Natasha bluntly stated.

“True that,” I said raising my glass of sweet tea.

“They don't need to be protected, they need to evolve. Ultron's going to evolve,” Bruce said his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he mulled over his thoughts.

“How?” Nick asked him.

“Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?” Bruce finally asked and the lightbulb clicked in everyone's head, our faces growing pale.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not updating, I'm currently in my first year of college & have been so busy! I hope you enjoy!

It was early morning, the sun barely peeking through the clouds, a light mist on the ground. The team had decided to head out as early as possible to make it to Seoul on time, urgency clear in their steps. They had all slept soundly enough but there was an air of angst surrounding them, nervousness and uncertainty of what was to come. 

“I'll take Natasha, Clint, and Reyna,” Steve announced as they walked towards the front door of the house, shield strapped to his back. 

“Alright, strictly recon. I'll hit the NEXUS, I'll join you as soon as I can,” Tony promised casting a side glance at Reyna who walked down the main stairs sending them a curt smile. 

“If Ultron is really building a body...,” Steve sighed shaking his head, his blonde hair shaking slightly. His mind was surprisingly at ease at the moment, last nights sleep being one of the most restful in recent days for him. 

“He'll be more powerful than any of us. Maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot,” Tony shuddered.

“You know I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me,” Steve said exasperated making Reyna laugh as she stood with them, strapping her shield and sword to her armor. 

“At least there isn’t monsters with a hundred heads running around,” Reyna shrugged making Tony smirk. 

“I'll drop Banner off at the tower. Do you mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?” Nick asked Tony as he passed by them, grabbing his coat. 

“She's all yours, apparently. What are you gonna do?” Tony retorted. 

“I don't know. Something dramatic, I hope,” Nick replied with a shrug of his shoulders but Reyna could see a twinkle in his eye. The trio left towards the Quinjet as Clint kissed Laura hugging her close, whispering promises to her. As they lifted off the ground, Reyna looked out of the window to see Laura watching them from the porch a small smile on her face, tears in her eyes. 

“We’ll be in Seoul in no time so be prepared,” Tony said. They all took their seats, anxiously waiting for their arrival to Seoul. Reyna dozed off at her seat and when she awoke, everyone was up and preparing to land.  

“I’ll go find Dr. Cho,” Reyna stated as she rolled cracked her knuckles.

“She should be in her research lab,” Steve said walking to the Quinjet ramp. When it lowered they were greeted with the tops of buildings. 

“Ready?” Steve asked Reyna. Looking him in the eye she nodded dutifully. With a deep breath she jumped. 

[Dr. Cho’s Research Lab]

Reyna had found her way to the large research lab in no time, entering through a side entrance. As Reyna quietly walked through the modern high tech facility, her boot clad feet making no noise on the linoleum floor, she heard the voice of Dr. Cho followed by another string of voices. 

“Cellular cohesion will take a few hours, but we can initiate the consciousness stream. We're uploading your cerebral matrix...now,” Dr. Cho said. 

“I can read him. He is dreaming,” Wanda stated in slight wonder. 

“I wouldn't call it dreams. It's Ultron's base consciousness, informational noise. Soon,” Dr. Cho said. 

“How soon? I'm not being pushy,” Ultron asked as he stared down at the cradle. 

“We're imprinting a physical brain. There are no shortcuts. Even if your magic gem is...” Dr. Cho began to explain before a horrified Wanda screamed lifting her hands from the Cradle as if it were on fire. Reyna who was nearing the lab sped up at hearing this cry. “How could you?” Wanda cried. 

“How could I what?” Ultron snapped. 

“You said we would destroy the Avengers, make a better world,” Wanda snarled. 

“It will be better,” Ultron promised. 

“When everyone is dead,” Wanda cried. 

“That is not...! The human race will have every opportunity to improve,” Ultron snapped. 

“And if they don't?” Pietro asked. 

“Ask Noah,” Ultron chuckled. 

“You're a madman,” Wanda snapped backing away from Ultron, her eyes filled with hurt,

“There were more than a dozen extinction level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs. When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it, and believe me, he's winding up. We have to evolve. There's no room for the weak,” Ultron explained not noticing the raven haired goddess who appeared at the lab entrance. 

“Well as a goddess I beg to differ,” Reyna snapped from the door and Ultron stiffened his eyes narrowing with fury. As Ultron became distracted with Reyna, Wanda took the opportunity to break the scepter's hold off of Cho with a curl of her fingers, tendrils of red energy entering Dr. Cho, her eyes clearing.  

“Life. Life always decides. There's incoming. The Quinjet. We have to move,” Ultron states evenly as Reyna brought her sword out, her shield ready in the other as she stared down Ultron. 

“That's not a problem,” Helen Cho said casually her spine tingling as she canceled the upload to Ultron's consciousness. As soon as the upload canceled, in a rage Ultron sent a blast at Cho but Reyna with immense speed, skidded in front of Dr. Cho and raised her shield up, absorbing the powerful blasts. Wanda and Pietro took this chance to run off, Wanda holding on tightly to her twin.

“They'll understand. When they see they'll understand. I just need a little more time,” Ultron muttered to himself before he unplugged himself from the Cradle before walking out completely ignoring Reyna and Dr. Cho. Reyna watched him carefully as he stalked out of the room before turning her attention to a frazzled Dr. Cho.

“Ultron just left I’m with Dr.Cho,” Reyna spoke into the comm as she placed her hands on Dr. Cho’s quivering shoulders. Reyna suddenly heard the heavy thump of feet so she stood at the ready her sword poised to attack. Reyna’s expression softened as her eyes met Steve’s. 

“Dr. Cho!” Steve cried as he crouched next to Reyna who sat Dr. Cho up. 

“He's uploading himself into the body,” Dr. Cho stuttered her eyes wide. 

“Where?” Steve asked. 

“The real power is inside the Cradle. The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle to Stark,” Dr. Cho choked out. 

“Go,” Dr. Cho said. 

“I’ll get her to safety and then I’ll find you,” Reyna said and Steve nodded. 

“Did you guys copy that?” Steve asked into the comms. 

“We did,” Clint confirmed as he flew the Quinjet. While Steve left to find the Ultron, Natasha followed on a motorcycle closely. Reyna picked Dr. Cho up and listened closely to the chatter on the comms. Little did Reyna know that Natasha had gotten herself in a sticky situation. Reyna listened as Clint got the Cradle, Steve instructing him to get out of Seoul now. 

“Nat! Cap, you see Nat?” Clint cried worriedly. 

“If you have the package, get it to Stark! Go!” Steve shouted from the train where he had cornered Ultron and the twins. 

“Do you have eyes on Nat?” Clint asked once more.

“Go! Natasha will be fine! Steve I’m on my way!” Reyna said into the comms as she took off from the roof of the research building, flying high over Seoul. Reluctantly Barton took off in the Quinjet, and back on the train the twins and Steve were left with a speeding out of control train thanks to Ultron. 

“Can you stop this thing?” Steve asked turning to Wanda, her brown hair whipping around her. With a determined nod Wanda thrust her arms out, swirls of red energy surrounding the train car, a screech coming from the wheels as Wanda attempted to stop the train. 

As Pietro picked up civilians out of the way of the train Wanda continued to use her powers, but they weren’t stopping quickly enough. Steve watched in horror as they kept moving, Wanda’s power lessening by the second, sweat beading at her forehead. Little did they know, Reyna was leaping from building to building following the trains path. Reyna watched as it approached more buildings with no indication of stopping, so with a grunt she leaped off the apartment complex beneath her, the warm air whipping around her. Suddenly a few feet in front of the train Reyna landed her silver boots making deep indents into the road as the train barreled towards her. Steve and Wanda watched stunned as she placed her shield in front of her, standing her ground preparing to feel the full force of the train. A second later the train collided with her shield, Reyna grimaced as the trains force collided with her shoulder, her body barely moving.  Steve and Wanda watched as Reyna put down her shield, a stern look on her face when she met Wanda’s eyes. Wanda jumped out of the train and ran over to an out of breath Pietro. 

“I'm fine. I just need to take a minute,” Pietro breathed out as he doubled over, heaving. 

“We’re very tempted not to give you one,” Steve snapped crossing his arms, Reyna joining his side. 

“The Cradle, did you get it?” Wanda cried her eyes frantic. 

“Stark will take care of it,” Steve reassured her his eyes glancing at Reyna. 

“No, he won't,” Wanda snapped back at him her eyes anxious. 

“You don't know what you're talking about, Stark's not crazy,” Steve replied back his voice stern and hard. 

“He will do anything to make things right,” Wanda replied. Steve shot Reyna a look as if asking her to back him up.

“I’m afraid Wanda’s right he might do something crazy,” Reyna shrugged and Wanda nodded determinedly. 

“Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?” Wanda asked Steve, who shuddered at the thought, her words sending shivers up Steve and Reyna’s spines.   

  
  



End file.
